If I Found $20

6 years ago

23 October 2012

I’m back from my quick adventure to Minneapolis which was full of museums, beer, and food with an Erin thrown in for good taste. Now with just seven short days until NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) I thought I would spent this post forgetting about all of the political posturing for the election, and complaints and gripes I have about random things, and instead focus on a positive writing prompt to get me in the mindset for the 50,000 word challenge ahead of me in November.

The writing prompt that was picked randomly was:You find $20. List 10 ways you would spend it within 24 hours and why.

1. If you know me well enough, you probably know my love for food, specifically ice cream. With the $20 I found, instead of being cheap old me and going to the supermarket to purchase a carton of ice cream, I would find a friend (or two) to go out for ice cream with me in the evening. Yes, even if it is snowing.

2. I would spend it on an adventure to work/relax in Denver by spending the money to take the bus into the city instead of driving ($10 round trip) and then spend the other $10 getting a sandwich and coffee wherever I was working. It would be nice to get away for the day without worry about driving and my daily routine of coming home to make my own lunch.

3. I would either go mini golfing, go karting or to play laser tag. All of these activities come at a premium cost that I usually weight the pros and cons about and end up not doing. But with a free $20 there would be nothing to stop me from making a hole-in-one, flying around the race track, or shooting people with fricking laser beams!

4. I would buy one of the many new books that have come out lately that I have wanted to read. This would either be ‘The Twelve’ by Justin Cronin, the sequel to one of my favourite books ‘The Passage’ or ‘The Panther’ by Nelson DeMille, one of my favourite authors.

5. Another food item, pizza. It has been months since I have ordered disgustingly delicious, cheezy goodness from Pizza Hut (or any other pizza chain). I am too cheap to ever buy fast food or delivery. But I want pizza, in my mouth, soon.

6. Buy a new shirt. I always am looking at the sale racks in many clothings stores for a new shirt to wear. Side note: I love grocery shopping. Like clothing shopping. And HATE shoe shopping. Having $20 would allow me to get a new shirt and not feel guilty about “really” needing it.

7. I would buy a new journal at the local paper store. I like owning journals, a bit too much, since I have at least 10 of them already lying blank around the house. But with their beautiful bindings, empty pages, and crisp cover, I can never get enough of them. Yay free journal!

8. A round of drinks for everyone. Most of the time I am walking around, it’s usually with friends and there is a good chance that I may find this money while out for a night out on the town. Lucky for them, this round is on me.

9. Admission to a museum or zoo for a “sick day” from work. Nothing beats being “sick” for a day and wandering off to spend the day either at a museum or zoo to take a break from life. I have done this many times before, and thanks to the $20, I can do it free this time.

10. I would buy a board game for the game nights that occasionally occur at my house. Even though most games cost more than $20, I would at least put all of it toward one of the dozen games that I have had my eye on for sometime. What else is better to do on a lazy weekend night with some friends, some drinks, and a good game or two.

So there you have it, 10 different ways that I would spend the $20 I found. Yes, none of them were to not pick up the money or to give it to a charity or homeless person. Not to say I am selfless, but sometimes you just have to take the luck in life and enjoy it, and each of the 10 things above I don’t get to enjoy on a regular basis. What would you spend it on?

It was actually quite hard for me to write this quickly without stopping and thinking too much. Hopefully my novel during the month of November flows off my fingertips a bit smoother and quicker. If you want to write with me make sure to make an account on NaNoWriMo.org and become a writing partner.